The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will waive all day use fees normally charged at our recreation areas during the week of 01 - 09 August 2009. This waiver encompasses only day use fees for swimming beaches and boat ramps. Fees for camping, specialized facilities such as picnic shelters and for other special use/events will not be waived.
References:
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FAQs:
Q. What are the dates when the day use fee waiver will be in effect and which fees are waived and which are not?
A. The Corps of Engineers is waiving day use during the period of August 1-9, 2009, where fees are charged to swimming beaches and boat ramps at Corps managed parks. Fees for camping, specialized facilities such as picnic shelters and for other special use/events at Corps managed parks will not be waived. The waiver does not apply to Annual Pass purchase.
Q. Why is the Corps implementing the waiver?
A. The intent of the waiver is to highlight recreation opportunities available at Corps lakes and draw in more visitors during a historically low use period. Visitors to Corps parks have positive impacts to local communities and an increase in visitors can provide additional economic benefits to local economies during this time.
Q. What is the amount of day use fees the Corps normally collects during this time period?
A. During this period, it is estimated that $325,000 in day use fee revenue will be foregone. This is a very small amount of the total fees collected during a year (.07). Free day use may also attract new visitors during other times of the year and offset any small losses in revenues.
Q. How does this day use waiver impact areas managed by third parties?
A. Recreation areas managed by third parties are not included in this waiver of day use fees for swimming beaches and boat ramps. However, Commanders should assure that communication takes place with these important partners advising them of the waiver and its intended purpose.
Q. How is this waiver being advertised?
A. Corps Districts and projects will issue local new releases and any other public notices as needed. Brochures and posters will be distributed by HQ electronically for local publication and they will be transferred to local project web sites. A notice about the waiver will also be posted on Recreation.gov and CorpsLakes.us web sites.
Q. Will signs about the waiver be posted at fee collection facilities, including the honor vaults?
A. Yes. The poster and brochures references above should be posted at all day use fee collection sites and honor vaults as early as possible to maximize public awareness. It is recommended that these be posted and available prior to the 4th of July weekend to get maximum exposure to visitors.
Q. How do we handle the waiver in ORMS?
A. Attendants will input the customer under the appropriate day use POS item and change the fees to $0. This will allow us to estimate the value of the fee waiver to the public and give some indication of the success of the program.
Q. Should I dismiss my contract gate attendant for this time period since fees will not be collected?
A. No. The attendants will still be needed to attend to the normal business of greeting customers and explaining the fee waiver to them. If possible, attendants should try to identify and track the number of first time visitors, which could provide more information for evaluation of the program.
Q. Will an After Action Report be required?
A. Yes. Field office should make every effort to determine the impacts, both positive and negative, as a results of the fee waiver. Comparisons can be made from historical OMBIL data without requiring new data calls. An comments received from customers or partners concerning the fee waiver should also be recorded.
